24 November 2011
Green Party campaign wraps up

The Green Party wrapped up its campaign today in Auckland with a free concert and reminder to get out and vote for jobs, rivers, and kids on Saturday.

“A vote for the Greens is a vote for a richer New Zealand in the things that really matter. A richer New Zealand will have clean rivers, healthy kids, and jobs that are good for our environment and our economy,” Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei said.

“The Greens are ready to get back into Parliament with more MPs and more energy than ever before to start working on our priority areas of jobs, rivers, and kids.

“We’ve got costed plans to bring 100,000 children out of poverty by 2014, clean up our rivers, and to create thousands of new green jobs.

“By making Working for Families work, providing better study support for sole parents and beneficiaries, raising the minimum wage to $15, and making sure rental properties are warm and healthy we can reduce inequality and make sure our kids get the best start in life possible,” Mrs Turei said.

Green Party Co-leader Dr Russel Norman said creating new green jobs was vital to New Zealand’s economy.

“We need to keep state assets in Kiwi hands,” Dr Norman said, “and use them to transform our economy.

“We will create green jobs by ensuring our state-owned energy companies capture the massive export opportunities in renewable energy. We’ll also shift the drivers in the private sector towards sustainability and increased productivity.

Dr Norman said the Greens would clean up the New Zealand’s rivers and lakes to make sure we can swim in them again.

“Over half of our monitored rivers are unsafe for swimming, one third of our lakes are unhealthy, and two-thirds of our native freshwater fish are at risk or threatened with extinction,” said Dr Norman.

“The Green Party will set standards for clean water, introduce a fair charge for irrigation water, and support water clean-up initiatives.

“Jobs, rivers, and kids: It’s a pretty compelling vision for a richer New Zealand,” Dr Norman said.

“It’s really important that people enrol to vote by tomorrow so, come Saturday, they can vote for good green change.”
ENDS

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Scoop Business: Bathurst Gets Nod For DoC Access To Denniston Mine

Conservation Minister Nick Smith has approved access over conservation estate land for Bathurst Resources to develop an open cast coal mine on the Denniston Plateau, above Westport, to the dismay of environmental opponents.

The timing for Smith’s move avoids Bathurst having to resubmit applications for access agreements under the revised Crown Minerals Act, which comes into force tomorrow and would have required public consultation.

The announcement lands in the middle of delicate negotiations between the company, environmental groups and other interested parties that could pave the way to a broader agreement on the Escarpment proposal, whose resource consents are still subject to court appeals. More>>